Fishing industry organisations in the UK have been quick to call out government plans to impose even greater restrictions on fishing, announced earlier this week to coincide with the United Nations Ocean Conference.
The Cornish FPO has slammed the decision – presented as a consultation – as a second betrayal on top of the recent EU-UK deal that extended the current access agreement for EU vessels to UK waters.
‘This isn’t policy. It’s annihilation. This new proposal ignores science, rhyme or reason and any thought for the leaps and bounds the fishing fleet have made when it comes to reducing its environmental impact,’ a CFPO representative commented.
‘There is no thought for displacement of the fleet, driving effort into other fisheries, the total lack of sound science and evidence of how fishing methods actually interact with the seabed, as well as the whole raft on unintended environmental consequences that such radical blanket bans will create. And Labour have chosen this moment – when the industry is still on its knees from the so called EU reset – to stick the boot in.’
The CFPO points out the colossal hypocrisy of banning fishing over a wide area of Cornwall’s waters as a follow-up to the government’s having given the green light to a marine area the size of Cornwall itself for energy production.
‘ All about saving the seabed and marine environment, is it?’ The CFPO asks. ‘It’s hard not to smell a rat.’
‘Who’s really calling the shots on this new ban of Cornish fishing? Not coastal communities. Certainly not fishermen. But extremist NGOs like Oceana UK and the Blue Marine Foundation – organisations hell-bent on wiping fishing and coastal communities off the map, with no regard for science, history, or consequences,‘ the CFPO’s representative saidm commenting that these are groups funded by luxury fashion houses, whiskey brands and celebrities.
‘Last time of checking, fashion was second only to fossil fuels when it comes to global pollution. The hypocrisy stinks.’
Scottish fishermen have every reason to be concerned, and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation states that ‘it is extremely disappointing that the UK Government seems to have caved to the emotional, unevidenced siren calls of the environmental NGOs and Sir David Attenborough and announced a ban on trawling in English MPAs.’
‘We are sure that the Scottish Government will take a much more intelligent, grown up and responsible approach to the rules and regulations around fishing in Scotland’s MPAs, one that is based on scientific evidence and allows coexistence between conservation and sustainable use.’
